1. ACADEMIC SENATE FOR CALIFORNIA COMMUNITES COLLEGES
Establishing Prerequisites Under the New Title 5 Regulations: Steps for Implementation
PRESENTATION FOR THE
ACADEMIC SENATE FOR CALIFORNIA COMMUNITES COLLEGES
CURRICULUM INSTITUTE
JULY 14, 2012

2. Presentation Overview
Overview of new title 5 prerequisite regulations
ASCCC recommendations and approach to adoption of new prerequisites
Local college district planning process for implementation of the new regulations
Question and Answer

3. Background & Overview of New Prerequisite Regulations
New title 5 regulations on prerequisites, corequisites, and advisories adopted by the Board of Governors on March 8, 2011 (section 55003)
Allows faculty to establish prerequisites or corequisites in English, reading, or mathematics on content review alone or content review with statistical validation
Chancellor’s Office guidelines, developed in consultation with the System Advisory Committee on Curriculum and Matriculation Advisory Committee released February 2012

4. Allowable Purposes for Establishing Prerequisites or Corequisites
Title 5, section (d) specifies the purposes for which prereqs and corequisites may be established:
The prereq or corequisite:
Is expressly required or expressly authorized by statute or regulation
Will assure that the student has the skills, concepts, and/or information needed to succeed for the course it is established
Is needed to protect the health and safety of the student or others

5. General Requirements for Both Methods of Establishing Prereqs & Coreqs
Requirements for establishing prerequisites, corequisites, and advisories either by content review alone or by content review with statistical validation:
Adopt policies on how the college plans to adopt prereqs, coreqs, or advisories that the college determines are “necessary and appropriate” [55003(b)(1)]
Adopt procedures to assure courses for which prereqs or coreqs are established are taught in accordance with course outline of record [55003(b)(2)]

6. General Requirements for Both Methods of Establishing Prereqs & Coreqs
Adopt policies to ensure that each section of the prereq or coreq is to be taught by a qualified instructor and in accordance with COR [55003(b)(3)]
Adopt a process for the review of prereqs & coreqs at least once every six years– for vocation courses or programs, every 2 years [55003(b)(4)]
Establish a basis and process for students to challenge prereqs or coreqs consistent with 55003(p) [55003(b)(5) & (p)]
Prereqs establishing communication or computational skill requirements may not be established across the entire curriculum unless established on a course by course basis [55003(b)(4)]

7. General Requirements for Both Methods of Establishing Prereqs & Coreqs
Determination of whether a student meets a prereq shall be based on successful completion of an appropriate course or on an assessment using multiple measures [55003(k)]
Ensure that no exit test may be required to satisfy the prereq or coreq unless incorporated into the grading for the course [55003(n)]

8. General Requirements for Both Methods of Establishing Prereqs & Coreqs
For prereqs requiring precollegiate skills in reading, written expression, or mathematics, districts must also:
Ensure that courses and sections designed to teach the required skills are available with reasonable frequency based on the number of students who are required to meet the prerequisites [55003(l)(1)]
Conduct an evaluation to determine the impact on student success and whether there is any disproportionate impact. Where there is disproportionate impact, develop and implement a plan, in consultation with the Chancellor’s Office, to address the it [55003(l)(2)(A) and (B)]

9. Establishing Prereqs & Coreqs Conducting Content Review Alone
In addition, to establish prereqs or coreqs in reading, written expression, or math for degree applicable courses not in a sequence, districts must also adopt a plan that specifies:
The method used to determine which courses might be the most compelling candidates for new prereqs and coreqs
The provision of appropriate numbers of prereq and coreq course sections
The assurance that other degree applicable courses are available such that student progress toward their educational goals is not unnecessarily impeded
Training for the curriculum committee, and
The use of research to evaluate the effect of the new prereq and coreq on student success, with particular attention to disproportionate impact

10. The Content Review Process
Section 55003(a) allows districts to use content review alone or content review with statistical validation to establish prereqs, coreqs and advisories:
Content review is defined in title 5, section (c ) as:
“a rigorous, systematic process developed in accordance with sections to approved by the Chancellor as part of the district matriculation plan required under section 55510, and that is conducted by faculty to identify the necessary and appropriate body of knowledge or skills students need to posses prior to enrolling in a course, or which students need to acquire through simultaneous enrollment in a corequisite course.”

11. The Content Review Process & the Course Outline of Record (COR)
Content review begins with the COR
COR delineates the course content, competencies the student is expected to achieve, assignments to be completed, and assessments to measure student performance
COR is examined to identify the skills and knowledge a student needs in order to succeed in the course
The guidelines outline a process for conducting content review (p.7-8)

12. Courses Exempt from Content Review
Section 55003(e) lists the types of courses that are exempt from the content review or content review with statistical validation process:
If required by statute or regulation, or
Part of a closely related lecture-lab course pairing within a discipline, or
Required by a four-year institution, or
Baccalaureate institutions will not grant credit for a course unless it has the particular communication or computational skill prerequisite

13. Reporting the Establishment of Prereqs to the Chancellor’s Office
Section 55003(i):
Requires that districts establishing prereqs, coreqs, or advisories report to the CCCCO new prereqs or coreqs established during the year as part of annual MIS data collection cycle
Required by August 1st of each year
Data from the Curriculum Inventory will be used for evaluation
FYI: CCCCO will be surveying colleges regarding prerequisites & coreqs implemented during the academic year per title 5 section 55003(i).
Survey released in early summer with a due date of July 15, 2012

14. Monitoring the Impact of Prereqs & Coreqs
Section 55003(l):
Requires that districts monitor whether or not the prerequisites or corequisites have a disproportionate impact on particular groups of students.

15. Background & Overview of New Prerequisite Regulations
Academic Senate Emphasis
Prerequisites will increase student success if applied prudently.
Not everything needs a prereq
Each prereq must be the correct one for the specific class.
Colleges must plan to apply prerequisites in a logical sequence—not all at one time.
Colleges must ensure that enough sections of the required classes are available.

16. Background & Overview of New Prerequisite Regulations
Academic Senate Emphasis
Faculty discipline experts in the discipline for the desired pre-req should be involved in the conversation in order to inform the selection of the specific prerequisite course.
Departments and colleges must be assured that their programs will not suffer if they apply prereqs.

17. Background & Overview of New Prerequisite Regulations
Academic Senate Position
Prerequisites that are thoughtfully and judiciously established through a content review process are the best response to Student Success Task Force Recommendation 3.4: “Community colleges will require students to begin addressing basic skills needs in their first year and will provide resources and options for them to attain the competencies needed to succeed in college-level work as part of their education plan.”

18. Advisory Courses – Anthropology 102 College Reading/Basic Composition
Semester
Skill Level
Cohort
Successful Completion
Unsuccessful Completion
Withdrew
Fall 2010
Attained
597
74%
14%
11%
Not Attained
247
39%
38%
23%
Total/Average
844
64%
21%
15%
Fall 2009
561
77%
12%
182
50%
743
71%
18%
Fall 2008
536
70%
17%
13%
168
43%
41%
16%
704
22%

19. Advisory Courses – History 109 College Reading/Basic Composition
Semester
Skill Level
Cohort
Successful Completion
Unsuccessful Completion
Withdrew
Fall 2010
Attained
741
73%
15%
12%
Not Attained
370
56%
31%
13%
Total/Average
1,111
67%
20%
Fall 2009
725
14%
281
53%
29%
19%
1,006
18%
Fall 2008
695
70%
16%
252
44%
26%
30%
947
63%
17%

20. Advisory Courses – Biology 107 Elementary Algebra/ College Reading/Basic Composition
Semester
Skill Level
Cohort
Successful Completion
Unsuccessful Completion
Withdrew
Fall 2010
Attained
704
70%
15%
Not Attained
374
42%
35%
24%
Total/Average
1,078
60%
22%
18%
Fall 2009
618
73%
13%
357
44%
30%
27%
975
62%
19%
Fall 2008
610
68%
17%
415
33%
26%
1,025
57%
20%

21. Considerations in Developing a Plan
Create a committee to develop a plan, to monitor the process, or both?
Committee may wish to discuss why prerequisites are needed
Committee may wish to review data on Advisory skill level vs. Prerequisite validation, as in San Diego CCD examples
Which courses should have advisories and which ones prereqs?
Julie—Ask if plan has been developed.

22. Considerations in Developing a Plan
How will the curriculum committee be trained on this topic to ensure quality?
How will enrollment management issues be handled?
How will disproportionate impact be monitored?
What resources will be needed to accommodate the changes (new faculty, classroom space, extra supplies or materials, etc.)?
Julie

23. Considerations in Developing a Plan
What documentation will be needed to make decisions within the process of departmental considerations (COR, syllabi, assignments, etc.)
What documentation will be needed or required for consideration by the curriculum committee?
How will pre-req implementation be sequenced? Who goes first?
How many classes can move forward at once?
Julie

24. Local Examples of Prerequisite Establishment Processes
San Diego Community College District Draft Plan
Los Rios CCD Collaboration Plan and Guidelines
Fullerton College Pre-Requisite Summary
Other Examples?

25. San Diego Community College Prerequisite “Draft” Plan (provided by Tim McGrath, Vice-President of Instruction, San Diego Mesa College)

26. San Diego’s Approach to Prerequisites
San Diego District is made up of three colleges: City, Mesa and Miramar
All curriculum is aligned so a course prerequisite impacts all three colleges
Each campus has a curriculum committee
Each campus has representation on a District Curriculum Committee to align all courses
District Curriculum Committee created a “Prerequisite Sub Committee” to create process

27. Committee Process Committee discussed why were prerequisites needed
Decided to review data on Advisory skill level vs. Prerequisite validation
Advisory Courses – General Education
History 109, Psychology 101, Anthropology 102 and Biology 107
Perquisite Courses – Economics Micro/Macro

28. Issues Considered By Committee
Enrollment Management Strategy
Additional Basic Skills vs. Transfer/General Ed
Who Goes First???
“GO BIG” or “a few classes each semester”
Planning Issues - Resource Allocation
New Faculty???
Regional Issues

29. San Diego Mesa College Example Timeline
Spring 2012 (February 2012)
Request for prerequisite data
Spring 2012 (April 2012)
Approval to establish English 101 prerequisite for Anthropology 102 effective
Fall 2012
Announcements printed in Fall 2012 catalog and schedules
Announcements of change in respective classes (effective )
announcements of change (effective ) sent to all students
Communication with high school partners of upcoming change for ( )
Spring 2013
Repeat steps from Fall 2012
Mandatory prerequisite effective Fall 2013 registration

30. More Local Examples
Los Rios CCD (Handouts)
Fullerton College (Handouts)

31. Question and Answer…

32. Additional Resources
Chancellor’s Office Guidelines for Title 5 Regulations Section 55003: Policies for Prerequisites, Corequisites and Advisories on Recommended Preparation (2/3/12) Student Success: The Case for Establishing Prerequisites Through Content Review (Fall 2010) Implementing Content Review for Communication and Computation Prerequisites (Spring 2011)